Shut out of the World
by Kowareta1468
Summary: Gray had always wondered what was on the other side of the wall. One day, he hears someone crying. When he jumps the wall to see, he never imagines that he would fine a beautiful garden. He looks around and finds a even more beautiful girl who never knew a world existed outside her walls. Will he teach her the ways of the world, and maybe fall in love along the way?
1. Prolouge

Gray Fullbuster ran his hand along the wall beside him. The cobblestone stood a foot taller than him. It stood for as long as he could remember. He was never told what it was. All he knew, was that trees were on the other side. All the adults knew. If he were to ask, they would probably tell him. The only thing was, he didn't want to ask Ur. He never like talking to her. He would rather not know.

What he did know, was that the wall belonged to the Heartfilia's. They ran the famous company Love and Lucky. Why they would have a wall only around this part of their property, was the mystery. The mystery hadn't been there forever, though.

"Gray!" Gray turned around and saw his 'friends' run up to him. He wasn't a very social person, so he wasn't too fond of the idea of friends.

"Are you heading home?" Lisanna Strauss asked. Gray just nodded. He found his destination obvious, considering he was on his rode, just a few houses away from his own.

"You should go to the cafe with us," Levy McGarden spoke.

"You have no say in the matter!" Natsu Dragneel yelled. Gray rolled his eyes.

"Why would I listen to you, Flame-Brain?" Gray snapped. He was in the town just long enough to hate Natsu already.

"What was that, Ice-Princess?" Natsu snapped back.

"You heard me, Fire-Breath!"

"Snow Cone!"

"Hot Head!"

Someone cleared their throat. "Are you two...fighting?" Erza Scarlet asked. The two boys froze.

"No ma'am! Just having a conversation!" Gray said in a worried tone.

"Good, then let's go."

As everyone was walking away, Gray could have sworn he heard laughing from the other side of the wall.


	2. Chapter 1: Over the Wall

**I really hope you all like this story! I'm not really sure what made me come up with this idea. I guess it doesn't matter how as long as I did, right? Anyways, I do not own Fairy Tail. Enjoy!**

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"Gray!" Ur yelled. He paid her no mind. Gray opened the front door. "Don't walk away from me!"

"I'm going for a walk," Gray snapped. He slammed the door in Ur's face.

Hands in his pocket, he walked to the opposite side of the rode. He always liked walking along the wall. Something about it was comforting. He pressed his hand to the cool rock. He sighed in relief and started walking. He only got a few steps, though, before he heard something. He froze. It sounded like someone was crying. Gray pressed his ear to the wall. A girl was definitely on the other side, crying. It was faint, but he heard it.

"Mama," he heard. The voice sounded sad and tired. "Please save me." Gray's heart shattered into a million pieces. Saver her from what? Curiosity getting the better of him, Gray grabbed the top of the wall. He bent his knees slightly, and jumped. He moved his arms to support him. His eye's widened. On the other side of the wall, was a garden.

Beautiful Sakura trees lined a cobblestone path. A pond stood near the wall, and the outline of another was off in the distance. Flowers of all kinds sprinkled the ground. Hedges divided the grounds into sections. Bird bathes were positioned throughout, along with feeders. Even though it was nighttime, butterflies and birds were flying around.

Not too far away from the wall, Gray saw stairs. He couldn't see what they led to. Not thinking clearfly, he jumped the wall. The grass below him was so soft, he wasn't sure if it was actually grass. Wonderful aromas filled his nose. His feet started moving.

As he climbed the stairs, he looked around. Arches stood proudly above him. Different flowers and veins were laced around the thin metal. The most beautiful trees he has ever seen lined the path. The rocks on the path looked to be made of granite. At the top of the stairs, stood a gate. He slowly opened it.

Color spilled from every inch of the place. A small pond sat directly in front of him. In the center, a few metal fish circled around each other. Water poured from the top, creating a fountain. Gray slowly walked around it. Two beautiful Sakura trees stood at the edge of the small area. In the middle, a hammock was strung. He gasped when he saw a body. He hadn't heard it before, but she was crying.

'It must of been her,' Gray thought. 'How did I hear her, though?'

Gray slowly walked over to her. She was wearing a pure white dress. It flowed to her knees. The sleeves reached her wrists. There was no defined waistline. Her feet were bare. Curly blonde hair laid across her body. The ends landed on her hips. Her back was to Gray.

"Why are you crying?" Gray asked. He regretted asking the moment the words left his mouth. He wasn't suppose to be there, so why would he make his presence known? He had forgotten all about his fight with Ur.

The girl gasped and sat up. Slanted bangs fell across her face. Gray was got lost in her deep brown eyes. Was it just him, or did her eyes have specks of gold?

"Who are you?" she asked. Gray snapped back to reality.

"I'm Gray," he replied with a dry voice. He really need a drink of water. All the moisture had left his mouth. The girl was truly breathtaking. Was this what the wall was hiding?

"Why are you here?" she asked. Her voice was smooth and calm, even though she was freaking out. Why was there a person standing in front of her?!

"I, uh, heard crying. I guess I came to look." He laughed nervously. No matter how hard he tried, Gray couldn't look away from her.

"You heard me crying?" she asked. She wasn't sure where he came from so she wasn't sure how he heard her.

"I was talking a walk and heard you from beyond the wall," Gray explained. The girl gave him a confused look.

"Wall?" she asked. Gray was shocked. How did she not know about the wall?

"You don't know about the wall? It's right over there. It's about a foot taller than me." The girl tilted her head to the side.

"Do you mean the edge of the world?" she asked innocently. Gray tried to contain his laughter.

"Edge of the world?" The girl nodded. "What made you think that was the edge of the world? The world is way bigger than that!"

"Father told me that was the end of the world. He said there isn't anything else aside from our estate," the girl explained. Gray suddenly felt sorry for her. Realization hit him.

"Have you ever left this garden?" he asked.

"No," she said. "My servant bring me food and extra clothing. I have a small house with a bed, bathroom, and sitting room within the garden. Father has his own house, but he said that's all that's in the world. He's never let me leave the garden to go to his house, though."

"What about your mom?" Gray asked. He remembered her crying "mama" earlier.

"She died when I was born." Gray's heart shattered once again.

"Why were you asking her to save you?" Gray asked. He realized, once again, that he shouldn't have spoken.

"I'm so lonely. Father won't visit me, and my servant has to go back to Father when she is done taking care of me. Father said we are the only three people in the world. So, where did you come from?"

"Oh my god," Gray said. He didn't know what else to say. "What do you eat?" Of all the questions he could of asked, he chose that one. Way to go, Gray.

"My servant brings me a loaf of bread in the morning. I eat that throughout the day. I drink the water from the fountain behind you." Gray didn't know how much more he could take.

"What's your name?"

"Lucy," the girl said.

"What's your last name?"

"My name is just Lucy." Gray wanted to meet the man who only gave his daughter her first name, only allowed her to eat bread, and told her that the garden and his house was the only places in the world.

"What is your father's name?" Gray asked.

"Jude."

"Last name?"

"He never told me his name. I've hear my servant say something about getting back to Jude. That's the only reason I know his first name." Gray thought a moment. Where had he heard that name? He would look it up when he got home. Home.

"I need to go," Gray said.

"Wait," Lucy pleaded. "I want to know about this other world." Gray chuckled.

"It isn't another world. It's the same one. There is only a wall between you and it. How about I come back tomorrow? It will be summer, so I won't have school."

"School?"

"You have a lot to learn." Gray turned to leave. "Don't say anything to your servant, okay?"

"Why not?"

"You obviously weren't suppose to know about anything. It will be our secret, okay?"

"I understand. I'll see you tomorrow, Gray. Come after the sun is at its highest. That's when my servant doesn't come back."

Gray smiled and left through the gate. Tomorrow afternoon, he would get to talk to Lucy again.

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**And that's that. I hope you all stick around for the chapters to come. And It would be awesome of you to click the buttons that says "review", "follow", and/or "favorite". **


	3. Chapter 2: Second Visit

"And where are you going?" Lyon asked. He had stopped Gray right before he opened the door.

"I'm going for a walk," Gray lied.

"With a backpack?" Gray unconsciously pulled the one strap farther up his shoulder.

"Shouldn't you be making out with Sherry somewhere?" Gray snapped. Lyon shifted his weight between feet nervously.

"Whatever," Lyon mumbled. "Just don't be gone too long." The younger smiled in victory and left the house. He was really hoping no one was following him.

Wasting no time, Gray hopped the wall. Adjusting his backpack one last time, he started walking through the beautiful garden. It was even more breathtaking in the light, if that was even possible. He couldn't help but wonder why they would give Lucy such a wonderful garden, considering what they have done, or more like didn't do, to her.

"Lucy?" Gray asked as he pushed open the gate. Lucy sat up from her hammock. She smiled brightly when she saw him.

"So it wasn't a dream after all!" she cheered. She ran over and hugged him.

"Of course it wasn't," Gray laughed. He was happy to see that she even knew how to smile. Her life had been pretty rough.

After a few minutes, Lucy released Gray. She grabbed his hand and ran back to her hammock. She sat down and motioned for him to do the same.

"What's in the bag?" Lucy asked. Gray smiled and pulled it onto his lap.

"I grabbed a few things to show you," he said. Lucy's smile grew, if that was possible. It seemed like a lot of impossible things happened within this garden: it becoming more beautiful, and Lucy's smile growing.

"This is an old yearbook of mine," Gray said, holding up the book. Lucy grabbed it and traced her hand along the cover. "You get this at school. Everyone's picture is in here."

"Why would they do that?" Lucy asked. She still didn't know what a school was, but she figured she could ask that later.

"It's so you can remember everyone. You sign your name and put a note on the last few pages for your friends." Lucy flipped open the first page. There was a picture of his school.

"What's a school?" she asked. Gray forgot she didn't know what it was.

"It's a place everyone goes to to learn. Adults are payed to teach us; that's why they're called teachers." Lucy nodded and flipped to the next page. A few words, that she couldn't read, where typed onto the page.

"What does it say?" she asked.

"You can't read?" Gray asked. Lucy shook her head.

"I was never taught anything." The impossible happened once again. Gray felt more sorry for Lucy.

"It says 'Fairy Tail High'. That's the name of my school." Gray flipped the page. "This starts the seniors. I guess you don't know what that is." Lucy shook her head. "When you are five, you start school. The grades go up numerically. Twelve graders are called Seniors, eleventh graders are called Juniors, tenth graders are called Sophomores, and ninth graders are called Freshman."

"Which one are you?" Lucy asked.

"I am a Sophomore. This was last years, so I was a Freshman then. This is my brother, Lyon. He is a Junior this year," Gray said, pointing to Lyon. She traced her finger over his picture. She was amazed at how many people there were at his school. She would have thought anyone crazy to tell her there are more than three people in the world the day before. But now, now she realized she was wrong.

Gray pointed out all his friends when he got to their page. He would read something every few pages. And when they got to the end of the book, he read the notes his friends left him. Lucy seemed pretty excited about school. She couldn't believe his school wasn't the only one. Gray even pulled out a map of the world and showed her where they are. She couldn't believe how big it was.

It was about three o'clock when Gray's stomach growled. Lucy laughed and grabbed her bread. When she offered him a piece, he declined. Instead, he pulled a small box from his backpack.

"I brought food. I thought you might want to try something other than bread," Gray said. Lucy hesitantly nodded. She never realized there was different food other than bread.

Gray pulled out a sandwich, apple slices, cheddar chips, and two cookies. He handed the sandwich to Lucy. "This has ham, cheese, and ketchup on it," he explained. Lucy nodded and took a bite. Unique flavors filled her mouth.

"This is amazing!" she said. Gray laughed and watched her take another bite. He took the sandwich from her and gave her a piece of apple. He ate some of the sandwich as she tried the fruit.

"Better than bread?" Gray asked.

"Yes! Do you get to eat like this every day?" Lucy's face showed so much happiness. Gray had never seen one person be so happy.

"I eat better than this. This is just a simple lunch. Here," he said. He handed her a chip. She had the same reaction as before. She then tried a chocolate chip cookie. It was by far her favorite.

After they shared a lunch, Gray started telling Lucy about the world. He told her of all the different foods, the clothing, the places to visit, and about his friends.

"Can I meet them someday?" she asked.

"I would love that, but I don't you to get in trouble. I don't even want to think about what Ur will do if she found out," Gray said, cringing.

"Ur?" Lucy asked. Gray nodded.

"She my, uh, Mom," he said.

"You don't sound so sure," she pointed out.

"For someone who has never talked to people, you seem to sense that pretty well." She just smiled at him.

Gray's phone rang, saving him from explaining his relationship to Ur. "Hello?" he asked. Lucy was wondering who he was talking to, and how. "What do you want, Flame-Brain?"

"We are all going to cafe to eat. Do you wanna come, Ice-Princess?" Natsu asked from the other side of the phone.

"I'm a little busy right now," Gray said. Natsu laughed.

"You are busy? You are the most anti-social person I know! What could you possibly be doing?!"

"Things," Gray hissed. He didn't want to tell him about Lucy just yet. He had just met her yesterday, so it was a little too soon.

"Just get your ass over here, okay?" Natsu pleaded. Gray rolled his eyes.

"I'll be there in a few." Gray hung up the phone and looked at Lucy. She was very confused.

"What is this?" Lucy asked, grabbing the cell phone.

"I will have to explain another time. I have to go, okay? I'll try to come over again tomorrow." Lucy blinked a few times.

"Why can't you come for sure?"

"I have to go to school. I'll try to get my homework done early," Gray explained. Lucy nodded slowly.

"Bye, Gray!" Lucy said happily. She jumped up and gave him a big hug.

"Bye, Lucy," Gray laughed.

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**And the next chapter is up! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I would just like to say that I love writing this story so much! I am actually writing chapter eight already...Am I obsessed? Is that weird being obsessed with your own story? **

**Anyways!**

**R&R!**


	4. Chapter 3: Lucy

**Since people are reviewing, next chapter!**

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"What are you thinking about?" Levy asked Gray. All of their friends looked at him. They were all eating lunch at school, and he wasn't talking at all.

"Things," Gray said, swirling his spoon in his soup.

"That's what you said last night on the phone!" Natsu complained. Gray just shrugged. He was actually thinking about Lucy. He couldn't get over how sad and lonely her life was.

"Did you meet a cute girl?" Mira asked.

"No," Gray mumbled. He looked down at his food, trying to hide the slight blush on his face. Lucy was more than cute; she was beautiful. No one could hold a candle to her.

"He's blushing," Lisanna cooed. Everyone at the table leaned closer to Gray.

"Who is she?" Erza asked. "Does she go to this school? What's her name? What color hair does she have? Is she smart? Is she-"

"Erza, he can't answer all those questions at once," Jellal said. Erza sighed and slumped in her seat.

"Let's see," Gray thought. "I'm not saying, still not saying, don't feel like it, blonde, and hard to explain. Does that cover it?"

"So she's blonde?" Natsu asked. Gray nodded and took a drink of his water.

"I can picture her now!" Loke wooed. "She'll be sitting in a park, the sunset as her background, her blonde hair flowing with the slight breeze! The moment she sees me, she'll set down her book and fall into my arms!" Gray rolled his eyes.

"You are an idiot," Gajeel said. Loke shot him a glare.

"So will we get to meet her?" Lisanna asked.

"No," Gray said bluntly. He didn't waste a second answering.

"Why?!" Levy, Lisanna, and Mira whined at once.

"It's impossible."

"You just don't want us to meet her," Mira snapped.

"That too." Gray got up to throw his garbage away, ignoring everyone's protest.

He was not going to scar Lucy by having her meet his friends.

X

Gray sighed as he looked out the window. It was pouring rain outside. The second he finished his homework, it started raining. He wouldn't be allowed to go anywhere.

"What's up with you?" Lyon grumbled. Gray almost forgot that he was still in the living room.

"It doesn't concern you," he snapped. Wendy giggled from across the room. Her two older brothers turned to look at her.

"I know what's wrong!" she squealed.

"What?" Gray and Lyon asked at once.

"He's in love!" Lyon started laughing. "What?"

"Gray isn't very social, so how could he be in love?" Lyon laughed.

"I'm am not!" Gray yelled. The ten-year-old girl just giggled again.

"You are too! You keep staring off into space! You'll just go for random walks! You smile every so often when you are thinking. You are too!" Wendy explained.

"What are you guys yelling about?" Ur asked as she came into the room.

"Gray's in love," Ultear said bluntly. She had been in the corner if the room, reading a book the whole time.

"I am not!" Gray yelled, blushing slightly. He was not in love with Lucy...right?

"Aw, Gray!" Ur cooed. She at beside him and hugged him. "I knew you were special when I picked you up along the road!"

"You didn't pick me up along the road," Gray said. Ur just smiled and hugged him tighter.

She suddenly stopped.

"Whats her name?" she asked. Ur could be worse than Mira sometimes.

"I'm not telling you," Gray said, crossing his arms.

"She's blonde!" Wendy said cheerfully. Mira must of called her. She always found a need in telling the girl about Gray's life.

"Is she pretty?" Ur asked in a teasing voice.

"I'm not answering that," Gray mumbled. Ur grabbed his cheeks.

"You're blushing!" Lyon laughed. Gray snacked Ur's hands away.

"You are too cute," Ur said. Gray glared at her. "I forgot the most important question! Does she like you too?"

"I'm done with this conversation," Gray sighed. He didn't need his whole family knowing his personal issues.

"Where are you going?" Ur whined.

"I'm going for a walk," Gray said before slamming the door behind him.

He was instantly soaked. He looked back at the house. No one was watching him, so he jumped the wall. The soggy grass squished with every step he took.

When he opened the gate, he saw Lucy sitting on her hammock. He didn't know where else to check for her. He figured she wouldn't be up there, since it was raining. She had said something about a house. Why wasn't she there?

"Gray!" she said with joy. She ran up and hugged him.

"What are you doing in the rain?" he asked. She looked up at him.

"I was waiting for you. You didn't know where my house was, so you wouldn't be able to find me." Gray couldn't help but smile.

"Can we go there now? It's sort of raining..." Lucy laughed and grabbed his hand, dragging him down the stairs.

Gray tried to ignore the fact that her light yellow dress was completely see-through at that moment.

When they reached her little house, Gray was a little surprised. The house looked rather big. He couldn't imagine why she would have a nice house. He was imagining a run-down shack.

As soon as you walked in, you were standing in a little sitting room. There was a love-seat and a chair. On the right side of the room, you could see a small bathroom. It had a toilet, a sink, and a small cabinet.

On the left side of the room, there was a spiral staircase. When you went up them, you were in a bedroom. A queen-sized be sat in the center. A closet was on the right side. On the left side, there was a desk, a bookshelf, and a three small crates. Gray walked over to the crate and saw that it was full of bread.

"They gave me that today," Lucy said, noticing his gaze. "My servant brought all my clothes and those crates. Once a month they will bring me more bread. She said Father needed her help more, so he wouldn't have time to come out every day. I'll wash my clothes in my little fountain behind the house."

Gray's heart shattered once again. "Where do you bathe?" He wasn't sure why he asked, but he did.

"In the same fountain. Sometimes I put flowers in the water and then the water smells like that flower. I can do that with my clothes so they smell pretty."

"Is the water cold?"

"If its cold outside, then yes. In the summer it is pretty warm."

'At least she has electricity,' Gray thought.

He walked over to the bookshelf. He wondered why she would have books when she couldn't read. The same goes for the desk. She can't write.

Gray's eyes wandered over the spines. A lot if classical books where there. He even found a few textbooks. On the very bottom shelf, he found two thin books without a title. He pulled them off the shelf.

They were journals.

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******NOTICE: I write all my stories ahead of time, so I do have many chapters ahead. This goes for all my stories. I do this so I can not write for a few days, if I so please, and I won't keep you guys waiting too long. It also helps if I have writers block on a chapter; I will have some time! So, please don't feel like you are being robbed of the stories if I mention a chapter way beyond the ones you have! (That sentence was really wordy :3)**


	5. Chapter 4: Journals

They were journals.

Gray looked at the red one first. It was full of information on flowers and trees. All the species in the garden were in this book. It told of how to care for them. On the very last page, there was a signature. It said 'Layla Heartfilia.'

The second book was black. The book was small, so Gray quickly read through it.

"What does it say?" Lucy asked. Gray closed the book and sighed.

"Your mother had this house built so she could stay in the garden. It was meant to be a temporary home. She would stay a few nights a week. She said she'd wander around the garden, sit in the hammock, and watch the stairs at night. She built this garden for that purpose.

"People would pass by, and she would invite them in. The walls were never there. She talked to someone new every day.

"Sixteen years ago, she became pregnant. She was so excited. Your father didn't want your mother to get hurt because of the strangers, so he built the wall. She was upset at first, but got over it.

"She goes on and talks about how excited she is about you. She says she just know you will be a girl. She says she can imagine dressing you up and walking around town, showing you off.

"She says she just knew you would have pretty blonde hair. She would do a different hairstyle every day, but you having it down would be her favorite.

"She said your name would be Lucy," Gray finished. Tears were running down Lucy's face. He dropped the book as she hugged him. He just smiled and hugged her. He didn't care if they were both wet. He didn't care that they would probably get suck. He just wanted her to stop crying.

"Do you want to hear the rest?" he asked. She nodded against his chest. "She said that she was sick." Lucy looked up at Gray. "The doctors told her that she wouldn't live. It was either you or her."

"She chose me?" Lucy squeaked out. Gray nodded.

"She said she wants you to be happy and live your life how you want to. She said that if you want to, you could leave the company behind. If you fell in love, you could go and never look back. She loves you and wants you to be happy."

Gray couldn't help but wish his parents had written a letter to him before they died. He wished they told him that he could be whoever he wanted, and they wouldn't care. But they didn't-more like couldn't.

"Gray?"

"Hmm?"

"What was her name?" Gray smiled.

"Layla Heartfilia."

"Is that my last name then?" Lucy asked.

"Lucy Heartfilia. How does it sound?"

"Perfect," she whispered. She smiled and buried her face in his chest again. They stayed like that for a while.

"You should change. You might get sick," Gray broke the silence.

"You'll get sick, too." Gray laughed.

"I don't care if I get sick. I do care if you do, though." Lucy blushed and nodded. She walked over to her desk and picked a book up.

"This book always had a bookmark in it. I think Mama was reading it," Lucy said, feeling the cover for the thousandth time. "Would you, maybe, read it to me?" She wouldn't dare turn around. She was a little embarrassed to ask him that

"Meet me downstairs after you change," Gray said. Lucy smiled and handed him the book. He left the room as she was opening her closet.

"The Secret Garden, huh?" Gray asked allowed. He read the book the year before and really liked it. He was going to buy it one day, but he was afraid of what people would say. Reading wasn't a very manly thing, or so he thought.

Gray heard Lucy coming down the stairs. She was wearing a light green dress. So far, all her dresses were the same style. He was beginning to wonder if she had clothes of any other style.

"Come here," Gray said. He sat on the floor and motioned for her to sit in front of him. When she sat down, her back was to him. His feet were on either side of her.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked sweetly. It seemed like Gray was playing with her hair.

"I'm going to braid your hair," he explained. He didn't know why, but he just wanted to. "Is that okay?" Lucy nodded. Gray quickly braided her hair together. He pulled the rubber band off his wrist and tied it around her hair.

"Does it look okay?" Lucy asked. She was now facing Gray.

"Do you want to see?" She nodded quickly. She had never seen what she looked like, since she had no mirrors in her house.

Gray told her to smile, and took a picture with his phone. When he showed it to her, her face lit up.

"Is this really me?" she asked. She didn't know she had brown eyes. She touched the braid in her hair. The end of it landed at her elbow. "I like my hair like this," she said.

"I usually do my little sister's hair, so I'm pretty good at it. I know a few different styles. I have to agree with your mom, though," Gray said.

"Agree with her?" Lucy asked, handing him his phone back.

"I like it best long." Lucy smiled and sat back down between his legs.

"Will you read me the story now?" she asked. Gray nodded and grabbed the book. His hand were around her waist, and she rested her hands on his arms. His chin was resting in her shoulder, so he could see.

Gray spent the next hour reading. He was about to read the fourth chapter, but he noticed Lucy was leaning against him more. He moved her hair out of her face. He smiled when he saw she was sleeping. He set the book down and picked her up. She was really light. Of course, anyone would be if they only ate bread.

Gray took her upstairs and set her on her bed. He pulled the covers over her. He grabbed the extra pillow on her bed and put it in her arms, replacing his own. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he whispered.

As he climbed the wall once again, he realized it was very late, and he would probably get in trouble.

Honestly, he didn't care.

Seeing Lucy was worth it.


	6. Chapter 5: Girlfriend?

**I know this chapter is really short. I will be updating _I Do_ later this week, and I will update the next chapter for this story then. This chapter is just a transition, you could say. It's really just everyone finding more about Lucy and setting the plot for the next chapter.**

**I hope you all like it!**

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"He soooo has a girlfriend," Levy said at lunch the next day. Gray didn't even realize she spoke. He was too busy thinking about the night before. He could not believe that he actually kissed her forehead. He braided her hair! Who does that? Apparently Gray.

"He's oblivious to us," Erza said. Natsu slapped him in the arm, waking him from his daze.

"What?" Gray asked. Everyone started laughing. "What?!" he asked again.

"You're thinking about Blondie, aren't you?" Gajeel asked. Gray rolled his eyes.

"Can I see your phone?" Jellal asked. "I left mine at home, and I need to text my mom." Gray sighed and gave his phone over. Jellal handed the phone to Mira.

"Hey!" Gray complained.

"You're too easy, Gray," she said. Natsu held him back as Mira unlocked his phone. She checked his messages first. "Either you don't text her, or you deleted the messages."

"She doesn't have a phone," he explained. He wasn't sure why they deserved an explanation, though.

"You must have a picture of her," Lisanna said. Gray struggled against Natsu's grip. Gajeel had to help hold him back.

"So you do!" Levy said. All the girls laughed and watched Mira. Their eyes went wide when they saw the picture. Gray didn't take any pictures, so it was the only one on his phone. He was going to delete it, but he must of forgotten.

Mira held up the phone for everyone to see. "How did you meet a girl that pretty?" Natsu asked. Gray elbowed him in the side.

"What school does she go to?" Levy asked.

"More importantly, where are you in the picture?" Erza asked.

"I don't have to answer any of your questions," Gray snapped. He hated that his friends all knew about Lucy.

"You can have you phone back," Mira said. Gray quickly took it and put it back in his pocket. "I already sent it to all of us, so we have our own copy. Well, I didn't send it to Loke." They all knew Loke would stare at the picture for hours.

"If you don't answer our questions, we'll send this picture to Ur," Lisanna threatened. Gray tensed up. "Or even Wendy."

"You wouldn't!" Gray snapped. Ur knowing anything personal was bad. Wendy knowing anything personal was worse.

"What school does she go to?" Mira asked. The bell rang throughout the school, saving Gray from answering.

"This isn't over!" all the girls yelled at once. Gray just smirked and went to his next class.

X

"Gray!" Lucy squealed as she run up to him. She was sitting on her love-seat, holding the black journal.

"Did you miss me that much?" Gray laughed. She just nodded and hugged him tighter. He hadn't noticed before, but her dresses were really soft. They were all light colors, too. Today, she was wearing a baby blue dress. Her hair was messed up, but still in the braid.

"Do you want me to fix your hair?" he asked. Lucy nodded and sat on the floor. Gray smiled and sat behind her. They were in the same position as the night before.

He took the rubber band out of her hair and ran his fingers through it. Her hair was softer than Wendy's, another impossible thing.

"You know," Gray started. "My friends think you're pretty." Lucy blushed slightly.

"How do they know what I look like?" she asked. She loved the feeling of Gray's fingers running through her hair.

"They saw the picture of you in my phone." Lucy was happy that he kept the picture. "Do you want me to read to you again?"

"Mmhmm," she said with a smile. She caught herself smiling a lot around him. "I like it when you read to me."

"Oh?" Gray was almost done braiding her hair.

"I like hearing you talk," she admitted. They were both blushing. "You're voice is very reap and gentle."

When her hair was done, Lucy sat on the small couch behind her. Gray sat beside her. He opened the book and continued reading.


	7. Chapter 6: Sleepover?

The sun hit Gray's face. He shut his eyes tighter. The sun was very bright. He bent his head downward, planning to bury his face into his blankets. When the scent of strawberries filled his nose, his eyes shot open.

The first thing he saw was blonde hair. He looked around and saw that he was in Lucy's house. He was laying on her love-seat. Lucy, herself, was snuggled against Gray's chest, gripping his shirt.

Gray awkwardly pulled his hands away from her waist. He shook the sleeping girl gently. She moaned in her sleep and moved closer to him.

"Lucy?" he asked. He had to admit that she looked adorable when she slept. He discarded the thought as quickly as it came.

"Lucy," he said again. This time, she opened her eyes. She looked up at Gray. Her cheeks flushed and she jumped back. Gray grabbed her waist so she wouldn't fall.

"G-gray?" she asked with a shaky breath.

"The one and only," he said with a smirk. "We must of fallen asleep." He took note of the book laying on the floor.

"I'm glad my servant only comes once a month," she laughed. There would have been hell to pay if they found Gray, since Lucy wasn't suppose to know about the world.

"Shit!" Gray cursed loudly. He quickly stood up and grabbed the book. "I should be at school!" Lucy took the book from him and set it down.

"What time are you suppose to be there?" she asked. Gray sighed.

"It's still dark when school starts." Lucy started to panic. It was all her fault that he was late, in her mind. If she wasn't such a baby that day, he wouldn't of heard her crying. If he never heard her cry-

"Lucy," Gray said, shaking her shoulders. She snapped out of her thoughts. "It will be okay. Ur's at work, so she won't see me. I'll just stop at the house. I'll be back later tonight, okay?"

"Promise?" Lucy asked in a childish voice. She really was beginning to get attached to him.

"I promise," he said. He hugged her for a moment, then left for school.

X

"Where were you?!" Natsu screamed. Gray smirked as he sat at the lunch table. He was in such a hurry to get to school, he forgot his tie.

"Did you miss me, Ash-Face?" Gray asked. Natsu scowled at him.

"It isn't appropriate to come to school this late," Erza said in a low, threatening voice. The hairs in Gray's neck stood up.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," he spat out. Everyone would of laughed, but no one laughs when it comes to Erza. "Now where were you?"

"I, uh, slept in." It wasn't a total lie.

"Surely Lyon or Ultear would have woken you, hmm?" Gray laughed nervously and looked at the table, avoiding everyone's gaze.

"Gray?" Lisanna asked. He turned to the girl beside him. He jumped back when he saw her right in his face. "You smell like flowers."

Time seemed to stop.

Did that seriously just happen?

"Gray," Levy said questionably.

It did.

"Care to explain, Ice Princess?" Natsu asked.

It so just happened.

"You were with the beautiful Lucy, weren't you?!" Loke gasped.

Gray wanted nothing more than for someone to shoot him then and there.

"Answer!" Mira snapped.

"And what if I was?" Gray asked.

He just dug himself a hole six feet deep.

"I would run," Jellal whispered.

Before Gray could react, Erza lunged at him. He quickly dodged it, but ended up being chased after. Mira, Levy, and Lisanna followed. They all had questions, and they needed answer. The remaining boys sweat-dropped at the sight.

"My money's on Erza."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

X

"Gray!" Erza shouted. He ran as fast as he could along the wall.

At school, their chase was interrupted by the bell. The second school ended, the chase was back on. The five didn't even ride the bus; they chased Gray straight to his house.

"Don't kill me!" he shouted back. The four girls all said their respective comebacks, such as "hell no", courtesy of Lisanna.

"You can't run forever, Gray!" Levy shouted. He may not be able to, but he sure could try.

From the other side of the wall, a certain blonde girl was following along, laughing. When she heard someone yell "Gray", she went to the wall to see what's wrong. She was overjoyed to hear another argument from the group. She had heard them many times before, but only now did she realize they weren't demons, lurking at the edge of the world.

"You are overreacti- AHH!"

THUD!

Gray fell flat in his face. Lisanna quickly sat on his back. The other three surrounded him. Lucy wanted to call out to him, but she knew she shouldn't.

"Are you going to tell us about this morning?" Mira asked in a deadly tone.

"And all about the girl?" Levy added.

Lucy's heart practically stopped. She knew Gray wasn't suppose to tell people. He would probably get hurt if he didn't, though. She was hoping he wouldn't spare her.

"She's a human, has a heart, two kidneys, a nose, a-" Gray was cut off by his own screams of pain. Lucy's heart shattered. If only she was strong enough, she could climb the wall. If only she was brave enough, she could tell them to stop.

"Are you going to tell us?" Lisanna sneered. When Gray didn't say anything, she pulled his arm again. He screamed once again. Didn't anyone hear him?

"You know how this ends, Gray," Levy said. "Last time you kept something from us, Mira broke your ankle. You like your wrist, right?"

Honestly, he didn't care if he broke his wrist. It would heal. But, if he did break his wrist, he probably couldn't climb the wall to see Lucy.

"Gray?!" a little girl squealed. He had never been more relieved in his life.

"Wen-" He was once cut off by his screamed.

"Stop!" Wendy yelled. He could tell she was crying. She ran over and pushed Lisanna away. "Don't hurt Gray!"

The four older girls stood in shock. They have never seen Wendy cry, and the fact that they caused it made it worse.

Lucy didn't know what to think, since she was only hearing everything. She guessed the girl was his little sister.

"Mom wants you home, Gray." He smiled at her lie. The older girls sighed and left the for home.

"Thanks," Gray said as he sat up. Wendy knelt down beside him. She carefully grabbed his wrist and looked at it. It was swollen. She gently moved the joint, warning a gasp of pain from Gray.

"I think you broke it," she said. He rolled his eyes. He found the fact obvious. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"You can't climb the wall now." Both Gray and Lucy's eyes widened.

"Wh-what are you talking a-about?" he stuttered. Wendy giggled.

"I watch you climb the wall everyday. What's on the other side?"

Gray didn't know what to say. If Wendy knew he climbed the wall, it might not hurt to tell her what's on the other side.

"Did you tell anyone?" He mentally slapped himself. He just admitted that he does climb the wall.

"I didn't think I should. You look so happy when you come home. And when you leave, you are always looking over your shoulder, so I know you aren't suppose to be climbing the wall." Wendy paused for a moment. "I haven't seen you this happy since Mom and Dad died. I'm not going to ruin that for you."

"Wendy," Gray gently said. He could see that she was going to cry, so he hugged her. "What's wrong? Please don't cry," he whispered in her ear. Her small arms wrapped around his neck.

"Why don't you smile anymore?" Wendy sniffed a few times. "You never seem happy. You are always frowning. I want to play with you, but you seem too lost in thought." A few more sniffs. "Why didn't you share the only thing that makes you happy?"

Lucy wanted to cry herself. She wanted to cry because of all the sad things she heard. She wanted to cry because Gray was sad. But the main reason she wanted to cry, was of joy. Wendy just said that she is the only thing that makes Gray happy. Lucy was special to him.

"Gray?" she choked out.

* * *

**And Wendy finds out! What will happen now? Will she tell in the end? Will she convince Gray to take her over the wall? **

**Please Review!**

**Next Time! Chapter 7: Past and Promise? **


	8. Chapter 7: Past and Promise?

"Why don't you smile anymore?" Wendy sniffed a few times. "You never seem happy. You are always frowning. I want to play with you, but you seem too lost in thought." A few more sniffs. "Why didn't you share the only thing that makes you happy?"

Lucy wanted to cry herself. She wanted to cry because of all the sad things she heard. She wanted to cry because Gray was sad. But the main reason she wanted to cry, was of joy. Wendy just said that she is the only thing that makes Gray happy. Lucy was special to him.

"Gray?" she choked out. Wendy looked at Gray, as I'd silently asking him if he heard the voice as well.

"Do you want to know what's behind the wall?" he asked. Wendy smiled and nodded. He sighed and stood up. After checking to see if anyone was watching, he grabbed the top of the wall with his left hand. He crouched low, then sprung up. He carefully landed on the wall. He could see the smile if Lucy's face.

"Give me your hand," he told Wendy. She nodded and grasped it. He pulled her up easily, even though he could only use one hand.

"Is this real?" she breathed out. She was too lost in the beauty to notice that Gray as already on the ground. He grabbed her under her arms and pulled her down. "I can see why this makes you happy."

"The garden isn't what makes me happy." Gray looked over at Lucy and smiled. Wendy followed his gaze. Her eyes widened.

"A person?" she asked. Lucy blushed and looked away.

"Wendy, I would like you to meet Lucy." The little girl ran over and hugged the blonde. She jumped, causing Gray to laugh. He walked over and hugged them both.

X

"Why are you two so happy?" Ur asked at dinner that night. Wendy looked especially happy. Gray was happier than usual, which was surprising, considering he broke his right hand.

"We aren't," Gray mumbled. He put a piece of steak in his mouth.

"I think he just got over the fact that his parents killed themselves," Lyon spat out. He was frustrated that Gray was happy. He knew it made him a bad brother, but he couldn't help how he felt.

"Shut up!" Gray yelled. "You know they didn't kill themselves!" Wendy burst out in tears. The two Fullbuster's happiness was gone the moment Lyon opened his mouth.

"No one believes your story!" Lyon shouted back. Gray clenched his fists.

"Do you think I would lie about something like that?!"

"That's enough!" Ur roared. The older boys sat down, not really sure when they stood. "It's been a year, so don't you think it is about time you two get along?!" The two locked eyes for a moment, then snapped their heads away. Wendy was crying to herself.

"I'm done," Gray mumbled. He stomped out of the room. He could tell that Lyon was going to get yelled at. He didn't really care. He knew Wendy would leave the room, so he wasn't worried.

Gray grabbed his jacket from the coat rack and walked outside. The cool night air bit at his face. He sighed and went towards the wall. He laid the jacket on top. Carefully, with only one hand, he swung himself up. He sat at the bottom of the wall, just wanting some peace. If he went anywhere else, someone would find him.

Memories of a night almost a year before flashed through his mind. It haunted him almost everyday at first, but now he only thought about it every few weeks. Lyon was kind enough to bring the nightmare back, for Wendy too. Gray knew she still thought about it every night. He would hear her soft cries from his bedroom, which was beside hers.

At least she didn't have an image of that night.

"Gray?" He carefully looked up and saw Lucy. She was standing before him, hugging her arms. It was a fairly cold night, even for late September.

Lucy knelt down in front of him. Gray blushed and leaned back, not comfortable with their faces so close. She stared at him for a minute. She would tilt her head, scrunch her nose, and blink a few more times than necessary, clearing thinking hard about something. She finally reached out and touched just below his left eye. She pulled her finger away and frowned.

"Were you crying?" she asked. Gray blinked a few times. She must have wiped a tear from his face. He chuckled to himself and looked at his lap.

"Now why would I cry? Men don't' cry, anyways," he said.

"Why can't they?" Lucy asked. She sounded sincerely curious. Gray assumed she thought he was serious, meaning they physically couldn't cry.

"I guess it's like admitting that they are weak," he said with a shrug. He father used to tell him not to cry when he was a boy. He had to be strong for Wendy.

"What's wrong with being weak?"

Gray ignored her question. Instead, he grabbed his jacket that was laying beside him, and wrapped it around her shoulder. He carefully put her arms through the sleeves, then moved the zipper halfway up.

"I noticed that you didn't have a coat, so I figured I would bring one. I guess I kept forgetting," he explained. Lucy blushed and nodded, looking at her lap. She seemed to drop the topic of crying.

I think I am going to walk you around town." Lucy's face lit up. She grabbed his hands and leaned closer to him.

"Really?!" she asked excitedly.

"I want to see how well everything works." Her eyes seemed to sparkle. "I am going give you one of my hoodies. We can flip the hood up so no one sees your face, just in case something goes wrong."

"This is awesome!" Lucy cheered. She quickly grabbed him around the neck, squeezing him tight.

"Wendy, get back here!" Gray instantly stood up. He had ahold of Lucy's waist, so she didn't fall. He forgot they were still at the wall. The voice sounded like Ultear. "Wendy!"

"I am just going for a walk," she said back. Even though her voice was low, Gray still heard her clearly. Then again, he heard Lucy the first day he met her, and she was pretty far inside the garden.

"You aren't old enough! Please let me go with you!" Ultear pleaded. He just knew that she was shaking her head; it's what she always did.

"What's going on?" Lucy whispered. She had fear in her eyes.

"I can take my cast off tomorrow," Gray said, ignoring her question. "My hand wasn't broken. Tomorrow is Friday, and I'll take you out Saturday, okay?" Lucy smiled and hugged him once again. When they broke apart, Gray ran for another part of the wall, so he wouldn't climb over with his family watching.


	9. Chapter 8: Into the World!

**Happy Valentine's Day!**

* * *

"I am really sorry about you hand, Gray," Lisanna apologized. Mira, Levy, and Erza nodded in agreement. Natsu, Jellal, and Gajeel felt the need to laugh one more time. They all enjoyed the story, especially the part where Wendy had to save Gray.

"The cast is off, and the only thing hurt is my pride, so don't worry about it," he said for the tenth time. The girls just kept apologizing to him.

"I know, but I still feel bad!"

"Well don't," he snapped. He hated people feeling sorry for him; that's the reason he didn't want to tell his friends about his parents. Of course, breaking an ankle was motivation to do so. "I'll see you guys later." Gray waved to his friends as he entered his house. He was very excited to take Lucy to town tomorrow.

"Gray, do you know where your brown jacket is?" Ur asked. She was digging inside the closet by the front door.

"Why do you ask?" he asked. He was glad he didn't stutter, since he was nervous. He gave the jacket to Lucy just the night before.

"Your cousin is coming to town, and since you never wear it, I figured we could let him use it. It isn't cold where he lives, so it would be a waste to buy a new one," she explained.

"It isn't his cousin, remember?" Lyon teased as he passed by. Gray fought the urge to punch him. If it wasn't bad enough losing your parents, Lyon has to remind him about it every day, along with the fact that he doesn't belong.

"Which cousin?" he hissed. Ur rolled her eyes at the two boys. Luckily, Lyon left the room.

"His name is Sting Eucliffe," Ultear said. He was starting to wonder why the whole family is joining the conversation. "He is about your age, and I think you two will get along just fine. He is actually friends with your friends."

"How does he know them?" Gray mentally cursed himself for taking an interest in his new family. Ultear noticed and smirked.

"He moved away about a year ago," Ur said. Gray flinched at her voice, forgetting she was even there.

"I threw it away a while ago," he mumbled before he left the room.

X

"Lucy?" Gray called as he entered her house. She came running down her stairs, a big smile in her face.

"Hi," she said as she hugged his waist, looking up at him. He smiled and pulled the backpack from his shoulders.

"I bought some clothes for you to wear. I wasn't sure if it would be a good idea for you to wear one if your dresses." Lucy nodded and took the clothes he handed her. She left the room to go change. She came back a few minutes later wearing his plain black shirt, but no pants. Gray blushed and looked away.

"Why didn't you put the pants on?" he asked. He had found an old pair of jeans in the back of his closet. He hasn't worn them since he was twelve, so he figured they would work. He would have taken Ultear's clothes, but she would have noticed. Wendy's clothes were too small.

"I can't figure out how to put them on," she said. Gray blushed a little more, realizing that he will have to help her. He didn't think pants were that complicated to figure out, but she only wore dresses.

"Come here," he said quietly. He reminded himself that he use to bathe and dress Wendy when she was younger, and to pretend Lucy was his little sister.

Gray scrunched the pant legs together and had Lucy step in them. She pulled them up to her waist. He quickly put the belt on her.

"Gray?" Lucy asked. She sat down in the couch beside him. "Are you sick?"

"W-why do you ask?" She out her hand on his cheek.

"You're face is all red." He quickly stood up and walked back over to his backpack. He pulled out a hoodie, a pair of shoes, and a hair-tie.

"Put this on," he instructed. She barely caught the hoodie. It was a little big for her. The main color was black, and a red splat on the front. "I'm going to put your hair in a bun, okay?" He sat back down in the couch. She sat in his lap.

After putting her hair up, she slipped on the DC shoes. They were al green and were the perfect size. They were slightly worn out, because he got them used at a discount store. He flipped her good up and looked at her. He thought she looked kind of cute in his baggy clothes.

"I look like a guy, don't I?" she asked. With her hair covered, and guy clothes, she figured so.

"People won't recognize you, so it's a god thing. Are you ready to go?" Lucy nodded and followed him out if the house.

After a quick instruction on walking more like a guy, they climbed the wall. Gray sat on top, grabbed her waist, then pulled her up. He jumped down, then pulled her down. The two walked away from his house as quickly as possible.

Lucy couldn't believe her eyes when they got to town. So many people weaves around her. She wanted to grab Gray's hand, because she was scared, but she guys don't hold hands. Instead, she stood close and grabbed the back of his jacket.

"Do you want to eat somewhere first?" he asked. Lucy nodded with a smile. They walked into a small cafe. A few older people sat in the far side of the room, but other than that, the cafe was empty. It was about three in the afternoon, so not many people were out eating.

"I'll go order, so go pick a seat," Gray instructed the blonde. She nodded and went to find a spot. He went up and ordered two hotdogs and a piece of chocolate cake.

Lucy ha picked the table by the window. She was watching the people walk along the sidewalk. When Gray sat down, she smiled and looked across the table at him. "What's this?" she asked.

"It's a hotdog," he said. She took a small bite of her food. It wasn't very flavorful, but she still loved it. When they were both finished, she was told to try the cake. She loved it, too.

"You have to eat some, too," she said, sliding the cake to Gray. He smiled and put some one his fork. It probably looked weird, since they were sharing cake, Lucy looking like a guy. No one seemed to notice.

When Gray took the plates back up to the counter, since the cafe was self-serving, a bell chimed, meaning someone new entered the small restaurant. He turned around, only to see all his friends walk in. They had a blonde kid with them.

"Gray?" Lisanna asked. She was the first to notice him. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just hanging out with my friend," he replied. Everyone gave him an odd look, except Natsu and the blonde kid, who were talking to themselves.

"Is that him?" Jellal asked, pointing to Lucy. Gray almost laughed at how much of a guy she looked like.

"Yeah," was all he said.

Gray and Lucy left the cafe while his friends were ordering something, so they couldn't ask anymore questions. They walked around town a little more before going home.

When they were almost in front of his house, they saw Wendy and Ur outside. Gray started to panic. What was he going to do about Lucy?

"Gray!" Ur called. Wendy looked up. Her eyes landed on Lucy. She tilted her head to the side, trying to figure out who it was.

They didn't have a choice but to walk up to the two. Lucy hid behind Gray's back slightly as they walked.

"A friend?" Ur asked. When Lucy waved to Wendy, the latter realized who it was. The small hands gave it away.

"We are just going to hang out in my room," Gray said. It waved them off. Wendy abandoned watering the flowers and followed the two teens inside.

After they were safely in his room, Wendy spoke, "What is Lucy doing here?"

"How did you know it was her?" Gray asked. The little girl shrugged and walked to the door.

"I hope you know what you're doing." With that, the little girl was gone. Gray said in relief and laid on his bed. Lucy followed after him. She laid on her stomach and put her hands on his chest, looking at his face.

"Will we get caught?" she whispered. Gray shook his head and put his arm on her waist, pulling her up closer to him. His chin rested on the top of her head.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes!" she cheered. She lifted her head up. Gray blushed slightly at their closeness. He realized that she never blushed when they were close. He wasn't sure if it was because she was comfortable around him, or that she doesn't understand. He really hoped it wasn't the latter.

"Your face is red again," she said. Her thumb rubbed his cheek. Her light breathes were hitting his lips, making him blush a litte more. "Are-are you blushing?"

Gray wasn't sure whether to be happy that she does understand the concepts of relationships, or be embarrassed even more.

A smirk crossed his lips. "Now why would I be blushing?" he asked. Lucy smiled.

"Let me guess, men don't blush either?" Gray's smirk turned to a smile. He was almost positive that he face was closer. He could feel her heart beating faster against his chest. Her hands were gripping his shirt tighter.

The door to his room swung open.

* * *

******Notice: I am going to start updating my stories every Monday. For every review, I will update one day sooner! So make sure you review after reading! **


	10. Chapter 9: So You Aren't Gay?

**You'll all learn about Gray's parents in this chapter, just so you know. Before you read this, let me remind you that Lucy was dressed like a guy, and laying with Gray.**

* * *

Gray was almost positive that her face was closer. He could feel her heart beating faster against his chest. Her hands were gripping his shirt tighter.

The door to his room swung open.

"Gray, did you meet-" Lyon stopped talking. His eyes widened at the sight before him. It looked like a guy was kissing, or about to kiss, Gray. "Sting," he finished.

Gray and Lucy sat up. She was sitting on his lap, not daring to look towards the door.

"Aren't you the guy from the cafe?" Sting asked. Gray nodded slowly. Sting was the blonde kid he saw with his friends. He almost laughed at the first impression he was giving.

"What are you two standing in the middle if the hall for?" Ultear grumbled. She noticed the two boys looking inside Gray's room. They're faces looked shocked, so she pushed Lyon aside to look. "What the hell!" she screamed.

Wendy and Ur came running up the stairs. They quickly pushed the shocked teens aside. Wendy started shaking in fear. She wasn't sure what was going to happen. First, they thought Lucy was a guy. Second, Lucy could get caught. Ur didn't know what to think. "Gray?" she asked.

"Y-yes?" he stuttered. He was too shocked to move Lucy off of him. He was lucky that he was able to sit up.

"Are you gay?!" Ultear blurted out. Gray blushed and shook his head. Lucy tilted her head to the side, confused. She wasn't sure what 'gay' was.

Ur awkwardly placed her hands over Wendy's eyes, as if the scene before her would scar her. Ur then grabbed Ultear and the little girl. She pushed them down the hall. "Have a man-to-man talk," she said before pushing Sting and Lyon inside. She slammed the door shut and ran downstairs.

Lyon awkwardly cleared his throat. Sting looked down at his feet. Lucy was still wondering what 'gay' meant. Gray was still too shocked to move or say anything.

"So, uh," Sting said. He wasn't sure what to say. He pictured meeting his cousin over dinner or something, but not seeing him in an awkward position with a guy.

Lucy jumped at his voice. Gray jumped in response. Forgetting that she was still on his lap, he stood up. She fell back on the bed. When she sat up, her hood fell off.

"Wha~!" Lyon and Sting yelled. Gray turned around and saw what they were looking at. He quickly flipped her hood back up.

"She's a girl?!" Lyon asked.

"So you aren't gay," Sting said with relief. Lucy looked over to Gray. She had a confused look in her eyes.

"It's when a guy likes another guy," he clarified. She nodded and looked at her lap, twirling her fingers around each other.

"Why is she dressed like a guy?" Lyon asked. Gray nervously looked at the floor, as if it would give him answers.

Sting walked over and flipped her hood down. "Hey, you're kinda cute," he said. Lucy blushed. Gray was a little mad that she blushed at Sting, since she never blushed at him.

Sting then reached behind her head. He undid her bun, allowing her hair to fall down. "You're hair is pretty long," he stated the obvious. He handed her back the tie. "Are you two dating?" he whispered in her ear. She thought a moment, then shook her head.

"Dinner!" Ur shouted from the kitchen. Sting grabbed Lucy's hand and stood her up. She didn't pay the gesture any mind and walked over to Gray. The four proceeded downstairs.

"A girl?" Ultear asked. She smiled wide and ran over to Lucy. "Can you spend the night? I don't have many friends." The blonde looked over to Gray. He shook his head.

"I can't," she said. Ultear glared at Gray.

"Don't mind him. You're staying," Ur said. "Let's eat!" Everyone sat at the table. Lucy sat between Gray and Wendy. Ur and Ultear sat at the heads of the table. Lyon and Sting sat at the last side.

No one really talked to Lucy, but she was still nervous. She put her hand on Gray's thigh, telling him she was nervous.

"So what do you think of your fake cousins?" Lyon asked Sting. Gray snapped his head up. Lyon could never let him be happy, even just for one night.

"Lyon, don't start," Ur sighed. Lyon paid her no mind.

"He's still a little pissed that his parents killed themselves, so don't be upset if he is rude. He can't help his stupidity. You know how it is. If his parents were stupid enough to commit suicide, just because they don't want to deal with him, he has to be a little stupid."

"Shut the hell up!" Gray yelled. Lucy' eyes went wide. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she knew that Gray and Wendy were upset. She could hear the girl softly crying.

"You aren't going to kill yourself too, are you?" Lyon said in a baby voice.

"Lyon!" Ur and Ultear gasped at once.

"Stop," Wendy cried.

"I think Gay-Boy is going to cry," Lyon laughed. Said boy stood up so fast his chair fell over. He quickly left the room.

"You're an ass," Ultear mumbled, reaching over and hugging Wendy. Lucy stood up and followed after Gray. She was starting realize why he would leave the house so late at night and always seem upset.

"Gray?" Lucy asked as she opened his bedroom door. She found him sitting in the corner if his room, his arms around his legs, his face in his knees. She quickly went over and hugged him. He was tense at first, but relaxed after a few seconds.

Lucy pulled her arms away. Gray didn't change position when she hugged him, so she lifted his head up. He kept his watery eyes in the floor. "What was Lyon talking about?" she asked.

_"I'm home!" Gray shouted as he entered his house. He walked into his kitchen and threw his bag on the counter. He grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl._

_"Gray, you're going to spoil your dinner," his mother said to him. He dramatically bite into the apple. She smiled and went back to washing dishes._

_"Anything interesting happen at school?" his father asked, taking his reading glasses off. He was sitting at the counting, reading a book._

_"What do you think?" His parents both laughed._

_Bam!_

_The three ran out of the room. Two men were standing in their house. They had slammed the door shut when they entered._

_"Hmmm," the first man thought. "She's pretty cute. Her husband is ugly, but her son looks like he is popular with the ladies."_

_"Who are you?" Gary's mother choked out. The second man smirked and pulled a gun out. In an instance, his father was shot._

_"Dad!" Gray yelled. His mother was too shocked to move. "You bastards!" Gray lunged forward and aimed to punch the second man in the face. The first caught his wrist and twisted. He gasped in pain._

_"I have an idea," the first said, twisting the sixteen-year-old's wrist harder. "Let's fuck his mother and make him watch." Gray cringed at the thought._

_"Mom, run!" Gray yelled. He was roughly pushed forward. The second man grabbed his mother. They were taken into the living room. The first man tied Gray to a chair with some rope. The second man threw his mother to the ground._

_After an hour of watching the men take advantage of his mother, he was finally able to break free. Gray grabbed the chair and hit the second man with it. The man didn't flinch. He grabbed Gray and threw him across the room. The first man pulled out a gun and aimed it at his mother._

_"Beg," he ordered. "Beg for your life!" Gray's mother couldn't reply. She was still in shock. The man kicked her. When she still didn't respond, he pulled the trigger._

_Moments passed._

_Moments turned to minutes._

_Minutes passed._

_Gray couldn't move._

_Gray couldn't speak._

_The men left long ago, but Gray couldn't call the police._

_He stared at his mother's naked, dead body, not able to utter a single sound._

_All his tears had fallen long ago._

_"I'm home!" Wendy called as she opened the door. She shrieked when she saw her dead father. She called for her brother, but he didn't answer. She ran into the living room. She screamed once she saw her mother. She looked up at the very much alive Gray. She cried and hugged him._

_Gray was relieved that she hasn't come home yet. It was one of the few days that he was thankful that she came home later than him. School ended two hours later for her._

_The next day, the two moved in with an unknown family in the next town over._

"Oh Gray," Lucy said when he was done talking. She wrapped his arms around his neck. He rested his head in her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her close and silently cried.

* * *

**Part of that flashback rhymed. I didn't mean to! **

**Remember to review if you want the next chapter up sooner!**


	11. Chapter 10: Bad Dreams for Everyone

**Forty reviews! You guys are awesome. Whenever I would read a fanfiction with around fifty reviews, I would just wonder how that many people could like a story. I realize there are a lot of people in the world, but then I think about my own experience with choosing a story to read. The summary and title really have to catch my attention, and not all of them do. I am so glad that I have written one of those stories that catch so many people's attention!**

**Anyways, you guys have been pointing out Lyon. I needed a "bad guy" in the story. I wanted someone who would get him out of the house after a fight, and finally decided to climb the wall. Since Lyon was part of the family, I figured he was the best choice. And if I were to have him mean one chapter, and nice the next, there might be some confusion. As the story goes on, I'm planning on making him nicer, so don't worry if you are a Lyon fan!**

"Gray?" Ultear asked as she opened his bedroom door. It had been a couple hours since dinner, so she figured she should check on him.

She smiled at the sight before her. Gray was practically sitting on the blonde girl's lap, whose name was still unknown at this point. His head was resting on her shoulder, his one arm around her waist. She was leaning against the wall. Her one hand was gripping the side of his shirt, and the other was playing with his hair.

"Did he fall asleep?" she asked as she knelt beside the two.

"He did a while ago," Lucy said. "He told me what happened."

"It only happened a year ago. He was fifteen and Wendy was nine. Can you believe it? They were both too young to see that. Well, not even adults should. I'm Ultear, by the way." She offered a smile.

"I'm Lucy." She smiled back.

"Let's put him to bed and go back to my room for the night, hmm?" Lucy nodded and let go of him. Ultear scooped him up and laid him on his bed. "My door will be open." With that, she left.

Lucy sat on the bed beside Gray. He looked peaceful when he slept. She wondered what it would be like to lose someone important. She never had anyone to begin with, so she wouldn't know. She decided that if she lost Gray, that's what it would be like.

She pulled the covers over him, kissed his cheek, than left the room.

"Have a seat," Ultear said, tapping the bed beside her. Lucy nodded and did as she was told. "Why are you wearing Gray's clothes?"

"I can't say," Lucy whispered. Ultear frowned.

"It can't be that bad."

"It's a secret."

"I can't keep a secret! I am way more trustworthy than Gray and he knows, right?"

"I don't-"

"You have to tell me!" Ultear whined. Lucy sighed and nodded. She started explaining. She told about everything that's happened between herself and Gray, about living in the garden, and about the lie her father told her.

"You're lying," Ultear gasped. Lucy bit her lip. "You're a Heartfilia?!"

"Please don't tell anyone," Lucy whispered.

"Of course!" Ultear smirked. "So you're the blonde." Lucy gave her a confused look. "By the sounds of it, you don't have any good clothing, right?"

"I have my dresses," Lucy defended herself. Ultear rolled her eyes and stood up.

"I'm going to give you some of my old clothes. I don't know if they will be small enough, though," Ultear said, looking at the blonde's chest. "Take your hoodie off, and I'll have you try something on." Lucy took it off as the other dug through her drawers.

When Ultear turned back around, she almost laughed. "I didn't realize that was so baggy!" Lucy gave her another confused look. "Put this on." She clumsily caught the shorts and tank top.

Lucy struggled to take the belt of her own pant off. Ultear had to help her. "How did you get it on?" she asked.

"Gray did it." Ultear's mouth dropped open. She couldn't believe that Gray helped her change. He helped Wendy, but this was different!

"I see," she managed to say. Lucy nodded and took the pants off, replacing them with the black yoga shorts. She then replaced her black shirt with the yellow tank top.

"You aren't comfortable around me," Ultear pouted. "How are you going to sleep? You can't sleep when you are nervous!"

"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked. Sure, she was nervous around her, but what was she getting at?

"You're not going to sleep in here," Ultear said. Lucy was about to ask where she would sleep, but Ultear told her.

X

Gray snapped his eyes open. He was breathing heavy. He had another dream about that night a year ago. He hadn't had them for a while, but now he was being haunted by the image once again.

He looked around, wondering why he was in his bed. He remembered talking to Lucy and having a, uh, moment of weakness. Who put him in his bed? He unconsciously took his shirt off.

He jumped when his door creaked open. He could see his room clearly because of the moonlight, so he waiting for the person to enter. He almost had a nosebleed when Lucy walked into his room. Her clothes were very tight and small.

She closed the door behind her and walked over to his bed. She knelt down on the bed beside him. "Gray?" she asked.

"Y-yeah?" He felt like an idiot for stuttering.

"Can I sleep in here with you?"

"Shouldn't you sleep with Ultear?"

"You can't sleep when you're nervous." Gray didn't understand what she was talking about, but made room for her anyways. She smiled and laid beside him. "Why were you awake?"

"Bad dream," he said. "I'm alright." Lucy responded by snuggling close to him. She wondered if he was telling the truth, because he wasn't wearing a shirt. She blushed a little for that reason.

"Where did you get those clothes?" he asked, trying to ignore the fact that a barely-clothed Lucy was pressed to his side. He didn't pick a very good topic for distraction, though.

"Ultear gave them to me." Lucy paused a moment. "I told her everything." Gray stopped breathing for a few seconds.

"You what?"

"I felt like I could trust her. She promised not to tell anyone." Ultear always kept her promises. "Gray?"

"Hmm?" He was starting to feel more tired. Something about Lucy laying beside him was relaxing.

"You're really warm." She moved closer to him.

"I seem to have a lot going for me," he laughed. "I'm warm; I have a nice voice; I'm not gay." Lucy laughed at the last part, since she actually understood the joke.

They didn't talk after that. Lucy felt Gray's heartbeat even, so she knew he fell asleep. She was about to herself. As soon as her eyelids closed, a blood curdling scream woke her up. Gray shot out of bed. Lucy followed him out of the room.

Gray opened up the door to Wendy's room and jumped on her bed. He picked her up in his arms and started rocking her. She stopped screaming, but started crying.

"Shhh," he murmured. "It's alright. I'm here." Lucy felt sorry for Wendy. Gray told her earlier that she woke up every night because of bad dreams. He said she would wake up screaming sometimes. Tonight was one of those nights.

"Gray," she cried. "They came and-and-and-"

"It's okay. It was just a dream. Go back to sleep." His voice sounded strained.

"Can I sleep in your room?" she sniffed. Gray picked her up like a baby and walked back to his room. Ur, Ultear, and Sting were in the hallway. Lyon didn't care enough to get out of bed. Sting only came because he didn't know what was going on, since Lyon didn't tell him.

"Will she ever sleep through the night?" Ur asked as she pet Wendy's hair. The girl was already sleeping again. Gray knew she would wake up a few more times. On nights like these, they usually stayed up all night.

"I hope so." Wendy stirred in his arms. "She's already having another dream." The girl gripped his shirt. Gray sighed and went back into his room.

"Lucy, you should get to sleep too." The blonde looked up and noticed that Sting and herself were the only one's left in the hallway.

"I don't think I can sleep now," she confessed. The scream scared her wide awake.

"I have to agree with you on that one," he said with a sigh. "Do you want to go hang out downstairs for a bit?" Lucy thought a moment, then nodded. He smiled and started walking downstairs.

The two talked for a long time. Sting talked most of the time, though. Lucy couldn't find anything to say. He had a lot of fun stories to tell, so it was okay.

After laughing a lot, Lucy fell asleep on Sting's shoulder. He had to smile to himself. Of course he thought Lucy was beautiful when he first saw her. But after talking to her, he realized that she's nice, too.

He hoped he would see her again after tomorrow.

**This chapter was pretty much meant to tie up the loose ends of the last chapter, and lay the basis for Sting and Lucy's "relationship". Now, I don't want anyone to worry about that, because this is still a GraLu story. What's a story without a little love competition? And better than that, one where the girl doesn't understand that she is in one?**

**I guess this would be a good time to make something clear. One review said that Sting would be better as Natsu's cousin, and I completely agree. I'm only using him as Lyon's cousin, because I wanted him to be the one with Lucy. If I wanted, lets say Hibiki, I would have made him Lyon's cousin. I hope you all can forgive me!**

***I hope you all are happy with the new menthol of updating. If you forget what that is, look at the previous chapter, or my profile. Now, I will (hopefully) be updating Perfect For You today as well. I just need to finish the chapter first! I am working on fifteen for this story, so keep the reviews coming!**

**I have to say, I feel very accomplished with the amount of author's notes in this chapter XD**


	12. Chapter 11: Musical Beds

**Once again, this is sort of a filler chapter. By the end of this, you'll know that the next will be more eventful.**

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Ultear awoke the next morning alone. Lucy was suppose to sleep with her, since Wendy was with Gray. After checking Wendy's room, she had no clue where the blonde was. She went downstairs, thinking she might have woken up and went to watch TV or something.

She didn't expect to see Lucy and Sting sleeping together.

Sting was half-laying with his back to the armrest. Lucy was laying on him, her one side leaning against the back of the couch. Her arms were resting on his waist. One of his arms were around her shoulder, while the other was reaching to the floor. Her face was resting on his belly button.

"I thought she was after Gray?" Ultear asked herself. After thinking about it, Lucy probably didn't understand relationships completely. She was still given the benefit of the doubt: they accidentally fell asleep.

"Lucy?" She moved the sleeping blonde's shoulders softly. Said blonde mumbled something and buried her face further into Sting's stomach. Ultear sighed and flicked Sting's forehead.

"What the hell?" he grumbled as he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Lucy. He smirked, content with the position they were in. The smirk was replaced with a scowl when he was flicked again.

"Shouldn't you be in Lyon's room?" Ultear snapped. Sting yawned.

"We were too awake to go back to sleep last night. We fell asleep talking," he explained. Lucy moved again due to the voices around her.

"It's still early, so you should go back to bed."

"What about Lucy?" Ultear forgot about her. Carrying Gray a few feet to his bed was one thing, but she couldn't carry Lucy upstairs.

"Will you carry her to my room?"

"I figured you would ask that." Sting carefully stood up with Lucy in his arms. She gripped his shirt tightly. He sighed and made his way upstairs, his cousin following.

When he set Lucy on the bed, she wouldn't let him go. He couldn't find a way to release her fingers. "Uh, Ultear?" he asked. He wasn't sure what to do. Ultear tried releasing her as well.

"I'll sleep in Wendy's room," she sighed. Sting nodded and laid down on the bed. The second he did, Lucy wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head in the crook of his neck.

X

"Gray?" Wendy asked. Her brother was standing in the doorway to Ultear's room. The little girl managed to push past her brother. She gaped at the sight of the two blondes.

"What the hell?" he asked breathlessly. He had to admit, he was a little jealous. He couldn't believe that Lucy would sleep in the same bed as Sting.

"Why don't you wake her up? You can make Sting mad by waking up alone," Wendy said with a smirk. Gray returned the smirk. He loved his sister's evil side.

He carefully stepped inside the room. He gently shook Lucy's shoulder. The blonde slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Gray, she smiled.

"What time is it?" she asked sleepily. He pulled his phone out, showing her that it was five in the morning. "Can I go back to sleep?"

Gray was a little upset that she wanted to go back to sleep beside Sting. He found the thought incorrect, though.

Lucy crawled over and wrapped her arms around neck, burying her face in his chest. Gray felt a small victory. He picked her up and carried her out of the room.

"Aw," Wendy cooed. Gray smiled and rolled his eyes, walking past his sister. Wendy closed the door to his room and went over to the bed. Gray was laying on his side, his elbow propping his head up. Lucy was curled into his chest. Wendy sat on the other side of the sleeping blonde.

"She's just like a kid sometimes," Wendy said.

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" Gray asked.

"Younger than me," she laughed. He agreed and looked at the sleeping girl beside him. He was amazed at how fast she could fall asleep.

Wendy left the room when she saw her brother fall asleep. She kept him up most of the night, so he deserved to sleep a little.

X

"You guys played quite the game of musical beds last night," Ur commented at breakfast. It was true, considering that Wendy ended up sleeping with her.

"It was definitely interesting," Ultear laughed.

"You know, I didn't let Lucy spend the night so she could cuddle with you two," Ur told Sting and Gray. They both blushed and looked at their plates.

"Come on, Mom. You know it's adorable!" Lyon teased. Ultear nodded in agreement.

"I'm taking Lucy home after breakfast," Gray announced. Wendy and Ultear looked up at him.

"Why so soon?" Ur asked.

"Her parents probably want her home." He regretted using that reason. He could see the pain in Lucy's eyes.

"Do you think I could come along?" Ultear asked. She really wanted to see the beautiful garden she was told about.

"No."

X

"It's so pretty!" Ultear said in awe. Gray rolled his eyes. He was forced to bring both his sisters. Luckily, Sting already had plans with his friends. Lyon wouldn't want to come either way.

"I'm glad you like it," Lucy said, blushing. Gray couldn't help but smile at her. She was so cute and innocent sometimes.

"Look alive, Gray," Ultear said. The second he looked up, he was pushed into the pond beside him. It was more like a swimming pool, since it was lined with metal and had clean water.

"What the hell, Wendy!" Said girl giggled. He swam over and grabbed her ankles, pulling her in. She shrieked grabbed his neck.

"That was low," Ultear tsked. She smirked and jumped in. She turned back to Lucy.

"Don't!"

Gray was too late.

Lucy shrieked as she was pulled into the water. Gray quickly looked away.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked. She grabbed his shoulders and was supporting herself on him. The pool was just shallow enough for her to stand.

Gray was a little nervous. She had changed back into one of her dresses, which was white. For the second time, he could see through her dress.

Ultear realized his discomfort. "I think we should be getting home. How about we all go swimming tomorrow? We can go to an actual swimming pool with all our friends."

"We have school," Gray quickly said. Although he wanted to see Lucy in a swimsuit, he wasn't sure if it was the best idea.

"We have it off, remember?" Wendy asked. He forgot that parent-teacher meetings were days that students got off school.

"So we're going swimming?" Lucy asked.

Gray sighed.

He, once again, lost the battle.


	13. Chapter 12: Swimming

**Thanks for all the reviews! I really can't believe how popular this story is. 54 reviews! You guys are awesome. And it seems that at least one new person reviews after every chapter. Thanks so much!**

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"Don't be mad, Gray," Ultear whispered. Her brother rolled his eyes and looked away. "At least talk to me."

"I have nothing to say to you," he snapped.

"I don't see why you're so mad!" she whisper-shouted back.

"You went and got Lucy by yourself!" Gray was about to say something else, but Lucy and Wendy came out of the dressing rooms. They all stopped at a store to get swimsuits for the two. Lucy didn't have one, and Wendy grew out of hers.

"You look adorable!" Ultear cooed, hugging the little girl. She was wearing a bikini top and swimming skirt. It was yellow and had pink dots on it.

"What about Lucy?" she asked. The three turned to the blonde. She was wearing a bikini that was black and had little white stars. The top piece was strapless, and the bottoms had strings tied on the sides. A bow was positioned at the center of the top.

"It looks cute. Don't you think, Gray?" Ultear tease. He just nodded and looked away. She rolled her eyes and had the other two girls go change. "Didn't you like it?" she asked once they left. Gray didn't respond. She moved in front of him and saw a slight blush lingering on his face.

"Aw, Gray!" she cooed. She squeezed him into a hug. "You are almost as adorable as Wendy!"

"Sh-shut up!" Gray tried to sound stern, but failed.

Lucy and Wendy came back in their normal clothes, so they all left the store, after paying, of course. They all went to the local indoor pool. Their friends were already waiting.

"Hey, guys," Lisanna greeted them, smiling at Lucy. The blonde moved a step closer to Gray. This was the second time seeing his friends, the first talking, so she was a little nervous. She relaxed a little when she saw Ur, Sting, and Lyon. Lyon wasn't nice, but she still knew him.

"Let's all change," Ur suggested. The two genders split up. Lucy stayed close to Ultear when they were in the locker room. Random people were around her, so she was a little uncomfortable.

They all met at the pool. There was a few pools at the place, so they paid extra to have their own. People usually did that when they came in large groups, so the staff didn't mind.

"I'll be in the hot tub if you need me," Ur said, holding a book. Each pool room had a small hot tub, mainly for the adults to relax while their kids played.

"Lets all play chicken!" Natsu suggested rather loudly. No one opposed, so they swam to the shallow end. Erza paired with Jellal, Levy with Gajeel, Lisanna with Mira, and Ultear with Lyon. Loke, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, and Sting were left.

"Can I be with you, Gray?" Wendy asked. He looked over at Lucy. She wasn't paying attention to him. Instead, she was trying to figure out what was wrong with the water, since it smelled funny. She didn't realize that swimming pools had chemicals in them.

"I guess so," he said. He didn't think Lucy knew how to swim, anyways. Wendy smiled and jumped on his shoulders.

"I'm with Lucy!" Natsu yelled, putting his arm around her shoulder. Her eyes widened when she saw Natsu.

"Get away!" she shrieked. She pushed off of him and nearly tripped. He blinked a few times, confused out of his mind.

"You got rejected!" Loke laughed. Natsu slapped him on the arm. "How about you be my partner, baby?" he asked Lucy. He grabbed her hand and kissed it. She pulled her hand away quickly.

"You're scary Lucy," Sting said. She looked behind her and smiled when she saw someone she actually knew. "How about we be partners?" he asked gently.

"Partners for what?" she asked.

"We are playing chicken," he said. She tilted her head to the side.

"What's chicken?" Natsu and Loke started laughing. They shut up when Sting glared at them.

"You sit on someone's shoulders and try to push other people off someone else's shoulders." Lucy thought for a moment, then nodded. He grabbed her hips and lifted her in the air, placing her in his shoulders.

"I don't want to be with him!" Natsu yelled. "Lisanna!" he whined, swimming over to the two Strauss sisters.

"Are you really going to make me be with Loke?" Mira asked. The pink-haired male nodded. Mira sighed and dropped Lisanna from her shoulders.

With the teams even, they all started playing. Mira and Erza immediately started fighting. Lisanna, Levy, Wendy, and Ultear all pushed each other around. Wendy was doing the best, since she was smaller, and Gray was pretty strong. Someone would fall every few minutes, but they got back up quickly.

"You ready to play?" Sting asked. The two blondes were off to the sides, observing. Lucy wasn't completely sure of the concept, so she wanted to watch for a few minutes.

"Yeah," she said. Sting smiled and walked over to the group that wasn't trying to kill each other. In other words, Mira and Erza were taking it very seriously.

"Lucy!" Wendy said happily. Everyone looked over and smiled at her. Gray was a little worried about what would happen if she got pushed off, but then he realized the water was only four feet deep.

"Do I just try to push them off?" Lucy asked. Sting nodded and moved a little closer. She started trying to push Ultear off. She didn't notice that Lisanna and Natsu came up behind her. Lisanna gave her a strong push. The blonde gasped and braced for impact. When it didn't come, she looked down at Sting. He was looking up at her, laughing.

"I'm holding onto you, remember?" he asked. She nodded shyly and kept playing. She managed to push Wendy off, but other than that, she was unsuccessful. She managed to stay on Sting's shoulders, which she was proud of. She was even starting to get more comfortable around everyone.

"We're done with this stupid game!" everyone heard Erza yell. She was standing in the water, pouting. Mira was cheering, still on Loke's shoulders. Jellal was hugging Erza, trying to cheer her up.

"That's Erza for you," Gajeel sighed. He roughly dropped Levy in the water. Everyone else was a little more gentle with their partner.

"None of you are dead, right?" Ur called, not looking up from her book.

"We're fine, Mom!" Lyon shouted. She gave a thumb's up. Ultear sweat-dropped. Her mother could be so careless sometimes.

"What should we do now?" Lisanna asked. No one had an answer. "I think we should split up and do our own thing." Everyone seemed to like the idea. The guys went to the deep-end, planning to push each other around. All the girls stayed in the shallow-end. Ultear and Wendy went up with Ur, though. Lucy insisted on staying, so she could figure out what was wrong with the water. She kept that a secret, though.

"Uh oh," Lisanna giggled. Everyone looked at her. "Mira has that look in her eyes." Everyone, except Lucy, started laughing.

"I first want reports from," Mira stopped to think. "Levy!" She pointed a finger at her.

"There's nothing to say," she said. Mira sighed and looked to Erza. She shrugged. No one wanted to give Mira any details. If you give her an inch, she takes a mile.

"Lucy?" The blonde looked up, wondering who said her name. "What about you?" It was Lisanna that spoke.

"What?" she asked. Everyone knew what Mira and Lisanna were talking about except her. She was new after all.

"I want to know about you and Gray!" Mira shouted. "And maybe Sting? I'm not quite sure yet. I think this could go either way."

From across the pool, Gray and Sting sneezed.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked. All the girls sighed.

"I mean-"

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled from across the pool, cutting Mira off. The blonde looked up and saw the boy waving her over. She swam over to the side of the pool and followed the wall over to the boys. She was near it anyways, so the guys didn't think anything of it.

"We want to hang with you," Natsu said with a toothy grin. Lucy blinked a few times. They were at the center of the water, and she was clear at the edge. The pool wasn't big, but it was to someone who couldn't swim.

"O-okay," she stuttered. He sighed and swam over to her.

"I meant by us," he said before he pulled her wrist. She screamed and grabbed the wall. "What's wrong? Can't you swim?" She shook her head, still clinging to the wall like her life depended in it.

Well, it sort of did.

"I'll help you over," Natau offered. He swam toward her, and she shook her head.

"I don't know you," she barely spoke. He blinked a few times.

"Ice Block, get over here!" he screamed. Gray only came over because Lucy was there.

"What is-" Gray stopped talking when Lucy jumped on him. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Lucy?"

"He scares me," she whispered in his ear. He laughed. Everyone loved Natsu, so he liked that someone hated him.

"Can you swim?" She shook her head. "You can hold onto me." The three swam back over to the rest of the guys.

From across the pool, the girls were squealing with joy over the scene they just witnessed.

Oh, did they have a plan.


	14. Chapter 13: New Family? (3-1)

**Thanks for all the reviews! Just one more will give us sixty! I was going to wait until then, but I'm already updating another story, so guess I can make an exception.**

**I'm going to start adding the date I updated each chapter to the titles. I hope that wasn't confusing. Just look at the title of each chapter to see what date it was uploaded. Okay, that sounds better. I just realized that I updated multiple times a week, and you guys don't get on every day sometimes. It would be confusing to figure out which chapters you need to read, so I found an easy solution.**

* * *

Gray and Ultear walked home from school. It was Friday afternoon, and all their friends were going to stay over later that night. They had a big basement, so everyone slept there. By request, Gray was going to get Lucy for the night as well.

"Mom! We're home!" Ultear yelled as the two walked inside. Oddly enough, they didn't get a response. "Mom!" she called again. Worried, they checked the house. There was no sign of her. Her car was there, so she couldn't have gone anywhere. She never liked walking to town.

"I think I see police lights outside," Ultear said. She had one of the curtains in the living room pulled aside. Gray ran over to see. He gasped and bolted for the door.

"Gray!" She yelled, chasing after him. She wasn't as good at jumping the wall, so she got behind.

Sure enough, a few policemen were standing outside Lucy's little house. A few more were behind the house.

"Hey, kid!" the one yelled. Gray ran right past them. The three cops chased him inside, guns ready to be drawn. A few more cops, that were throughout the house, chased after him. They all ended up through the gate. Lucy, Ur, and a few more cops stood by the hammock.

"Gray!" Lucy cried. She ran over and jumped in his arms. All the cops exchanged confused glances as they put their guns away.

"What are you doing?" Ur asked her adoptive son. She looked just as shocked as all the other policemen.

"What the hell is going on?!" Gray yelled. He was trying to calm the crying blonde down, but he still needed answers.

"I should be asking you, Gray," Ur snapped. She glared at Ultear as she entered the area. Ur turned back to Gray. "I saw you taking Lucy over the wall the other night. I remember a house being here, so I called the police. We find that Lucy lives here! Why didn't you tell anyone? And why did you come onto someone else's property?!"

"You seem old enough to know better," a detective spoke. Gray let out a shaky breath, afraid that he would get in big trouble. "However, we won't blame you for anything. The property isn't posted, so you technically could have come on it."

"Th-thank you, sir," Gray stuttered. He flinched when the detective grabbed his shoulder and leaned close to him. When did Lucy jump to Ultear's arms?

"Let's keep your little dates a secret, hmm?" he whispered. Gray blushed a little, since they weren't dates...officially.

"A-alright."

The man smiled. He face turned serious. He spun to face Ur. "Lucy needs a place to stay. She needs to learn to read, write, and attend school. My thoughts? She lives with you. She seems very comfortable around your son, here. I mean, she kept crying his name when we first came." He stopped and looked back at Gray. He looked to Lucy. He turned back to Ur.

"She will attend high school. We will set up special classes for her to learn the basics. While we're making exceptions, we'll put her in tenth grade with Gray and his friends. Do you think that is fair?"

Ur smiled. "I would love that. Of course, as long as Ultear doesn't mind sharing her room," she said in a teasing voice. Ultear nodded happily.

"We'll have the papers for you tomorrow. The wall is being removed, Jude will be relocated, since we can't afford to put him in jail, and the garden will be in Lucy's name. I will personally call someone to move her things to your house. I'm sure she will want all her mother's things."

Gray suddenly loved detectives.

X

"Hello, Lucy," Levy greeted with a smile. The blonde just joined everyone downstairs. Ur had her take a bath to relax more. The evening was pretty stressful for everyone.

"Hi," Lucy said. She was proud that she didn't stutter that time. Levy offered a warm smile.

"Graaaayyyy!"

Gray, Ultear, and all their friends looked up at the stairs. They were a little shock that the voice was Sting's.

"Why didn't you tell me that Lucy was going to live with us?!" Sting was shaking Gray's shoulders back and forth.

"What?!" everyone,except Ultear, and Lucy, gasped

"Us?" Gray blurted out. Last time he checked, Sting was a guest. Now that it was mentioned, why hasn't he gone home yet?

"I'm going to be staying here, too. Didn't Aunt Ur tell you?"

Gray slowly shook his head.

"Sting's staying!" everyone cheered.

Gray was not happy. Sting was always flirting with Lucy. How could he stand them living in the same house?

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**I'm sorry that this was so short. I didn't want to start the next scene, since it will be long. If I remember correctly, the next chapter is her going to school. Okay, I just checked, and it is. It's about 1,200 words, so it's a little bit longer (500 more words).**

******If you haven't read it yet, I would love it if you checked out my one-shot, _Who's Baby?_. Almost all the reviews I've gotten so far requested for me to make it a story, so maybe I will. If I do, I'd want to finish _I Do_ first, which won't be that much longer. So, if you guys read and review it, I may just continue it!**

**Anyways! Please leave a review!**


	15. Chapter 14: School (3-10)

Thanks for all the reviews!

Gray couldn't help but think that Lucy was cute at that moment.

Lyon, Sting, Ultear, Lucy, and himself were all walking to school. It was a Monday, but how could he hate this particular one? Over the weekend, everything Lucy wanted from her small house was brought to his. Jude moved to America, and a good chunk of the wall was already taken down.

Back to Lucy, she was walking with a hop in her step. She was holding Gray and Ultear's hands, swinging them back and forth. She was going on about how excited she was.

She was wearing the usual school uniform for a girl: a short-sleeved button-up t-shirt, a blue and black plaid skirt, black leather shoes, and a black bow-tie. The guy's uniform was the same, except they wore black pants and a blue tie.

"Is that the school?" Lucy asked. A large brick building stood before them. Students were hanging around the front yard.

"Don't worry, it's bigger on the outside" Ultear said. "Lyon and I are in different grades, so we won't be seeing each other. You should have Gray, Sting, or their friends in a few of your classes. Well, have fun!" With that, she and Lyon ran off.

"We all have art first period, so we'll walk together," Gray said. Sting and Lucy nodded, following him. Sting had gone to a school before, so he wasn't as amazed as Lucy.

"You must be my two new students!" the teacher cheered. "My name is Mrs. England. I hope you all enjoy this class. Just find an empty seat. We are just painting what we want today."

Four tables with four seats each sat. At the first table, two girls and two boys sat. The second table seated four girls. At the third table, Gray and Sting sat with two girls, who giggled at Sting the whole time. Lastly, Lucy sat at a table with three guys. Ur told her children, and nephew, to let Lucy do things in her own, so they sat separate.

The teacher came over and told Lucy about painting. The blonde didn't take long to decide what to paint. She grabbed pink, brown, white, green, and white paint. She quickly got to work.

"Hey Cutie, whatcha painting?" one guy asked Lucy. She nervously looked up at him.

"A t-tree," she stuttered. The boy just grinned.

The rest of the class passed rather quickly. The boys flirted with Lucy the whole time. Of course, she had no clue they weren't just being friendly.

"This is amazing!" Mrs. England said, holding up Lucy's sakura tree. Gray and Sting smiled while they cleaned up for her. Gray knew exactly where she got the inspiration: the trees hanging her hammock.

After art, Lucy had her special reading class. The teacher, Mr. Gildarts, was the reading teacher for tenth grade. He wasn't used to teaching people who couldn't read, but he tried. He gave Lucy a sheet of the basics and a folder of easy books to read. He said she would pick-up on it quickly.

Math class followed. The whole class was spent teaching Lucy to read the numbers and count. They only made it up to twenty.

Lucy found Levy, Lisanna, Erza, and Mira in the hallway, so she managed to find her way to gym. The whole gang had PE together.

"You guys are going to do fifty sit-ups, twenty push-ups, then run ten laps!" Mr. Rice yelled. Everyone scrambled around to find their partners. Sting, luckily, ended up with Mira. All the girls were trying to go with him. Lucy was trying to find Gray, but he found her first.

"Are you having fun?" he asked her while he did his sit-ups.

"I can count to twenty and read a little bit. I'm going to show you tonight, okay?" she asked happily. Gray laughed and nodded. By that time, he was already done with his fifty sit-ups. Lucy counted twenty of hers, and Gray counted up to thirty. She had never done them before, so he thought that was pretty good. She manages to do all the push-ups.

"Get running!" Mr. Rice screamed, blowing his whistle afterwards. All the students scrambled onto the track

"How is my beautiful princess doing?" Loke asked, draping his arm over Lucy's shoulders. She pushed him away, causing everyone to laugh.

Ten awful laps later...

"Study hall?" Lucy asked. Mira nodded and handed the blonde her schedule back.

"You are put in a random teacher's room and do school work," Lisanna explained.

"I can work on reading!" Lucy said excitedly. The other girls laughed. They all parted ways, except for Levy and Lucy. Levy was going to show her where her study hall was. If turned out that she was still on time for her next class.

Lucy silently practiced reading. The books had phrases like "Pat drank water" and "I like fish". Since she can speak well, unlike a five-year-old, reading came pretty quick for her.

"Hey there." Lucy looked up and saw two guys sitting at her table. "Are you new here?"

"Y-yes."

The man chuckled. "You're a shy little thing, aren't you?"

"Look at you, doing school work," the second guy said. "Brains and beauty." Lucy didn't understand what the last thing he said meant. She tuned out the guys pretty well while she worked. When the bell rang, she went up to the teacher, leaving the boys behind.

"Can you tell me what I have next?" she asked sweetly. He grabbed the schedule from her hands and looked. All the teachers were informed of her situation, so he didn't think anything odd about her asking.

"Jacob!" the teacher yelled. One of the boys from before walked over. "I want you to show this girl to the cafeteria, alright? And make sure she finds her friends before you leave." Jacob nodded and started walking away. Lucy quickly followed. She was too busy being uncomfortable to notice that he was talking to her.

When they got to the cafeteria, Gray was already standing at the side of the hall, clearly in view. When he saw Lucy, he grabbed his phone and texted his friends. They weren't sure which path she would take, so they split up to wait for her.

"Hey, Lucy," he said once he out his phone away.

"Thank you," she quickly told Jacob. She ran over to Gray and hugged him. "I was worried I wouldn't find you and I wouldn't know where my next class was and I still wouldn't find you then I couldn't get home and then I would be stuck here and who knows if I find you in the morning?" she rambled.

"We wouldn't let that happen," Gray said. "Let's go over with everyone." She nodded happily and followed him to the table. Everyone was talking amongst themselves. They seemed to gather quickly after Gray's text.

"I'll get your lunch, okay?" Gray asked Lucy. "You don't know what is partially edible yet." She was very confused. How could food not be edible?

She found out when Gray returned.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please review!


	16. Chapter 15: Unexpressed Feelings (3-12)

**Seventy reviews! I can't believe it! Thanks so much for all your support!**

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"...forty-eight, forty-nine, and fifty!" Lucy said proudly.

"That's great!" Ur said, hugging her. The blonde just smiled more. After lunch, Lucy had another reading and math class, so she learned to count and read a little more for the day. She counted as high as she could for Ur while she made dinner.

"Fan-tastic," Lyon stretched out his words. "Can you be quiet and let me do my homework?" All the children were sitting at the table in the next room, doing their homework. He seemed to be the only one that minded, though. He earned a smack from both Ultear and Gray.

"Don't mind him, Lucy," Ur said, scowling at her eldest son. "Why don't you read a story? I hear Mr. Gildarts gave her a few." Lucy nodded and reached for the folder in her backpack. She pulled out 'If You Give a Mouse a Cookie' by Laura Joffe Numeroff. She read the book for Mr. Gildarts during her second reading class, so she knew she could. Every few pages she would have to stop to figure out the word, but she was doing pretty well for a beginner.

"How's that Biology?" Ultear teased, nudging her brother's shoulder. He snapped his head from Lucy and continued the worksheet in front of him. Wendy laughed while coloring in her animal coloring book. She usually finishes all her work in school, so she decided to do something with everyone. Besides, before and during dinner was the only time she would see her whole family together. When her older siblings got home from school, they did their own thing until she got home. Then, they would do their homework until dinner. Gray usually didn't do anything he didn't finish after that. Lyon and Ultear would continue in their rooms. She didn't know what Sting would do.

"Great job!" Ur cooed, once again. "You'll be reading better than Gray before you know it!"

"Mom, that isn't much of an accomplishment!" Wendy laughed. Her brother was awful at reading and always has been. He actually couldn't read until third grade, if you can believe it.

"Love you too," Gray mumbled, scowling at her. His face softened when Lucy giggled from across the room. He coughed and continued working. The action went unnoticed to everyone but Ur. She smiled to herself and stirred the soup one last time before turning it off. She couldn't be more happy. She really felt like Lucy was just what her family needed to bring it together once again.

X

"What are you going to do with the garden?" Gray asked, rubbing an aster flower in between his fingers. Lucy thought a moment, then shrugged.

"I think I might make it a public place. Mama invited people in, but I want everyone to enjoy it on their own, you know?" Lucy crouched down beside Gray and picked one of the flowers he was looking at. She spun it around for a few seconds, then tucked it behind her ear.

When she stood back up, she ran over to another set if flowers. The stems were taller, so she could feel the petals while standing.

Gray walked over and looked at her. The wind was blowing, gently moving her golden hair. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked at the daisies.

He didn't know why, but he stepped closer so he was only a few inches away. As she turned to look at him, he grabbed her face in his hands. He gently rubbed his thumbs over her red cheeks. It was getting pretty late, so it was cold outside. He knew she wasn't blushing. She never seemed to blush in awkward situations; only when she was complemented. She did seem to blush around Sting a lot. He quickly pushed the thought out of his mind.

He leaned his face closer so they were only an inch apart. She didn't pull away, but he wasn't even sure if she knew what he was trying to do. He saw that innocent curiosity in her eyes. He abruptly pulled his face back.

"Gray?" she asked. He seemed to be acting strange, and she wasn't sure why. She found it odd that he would close to her than pull his face back away. If was almost random.

"I just can't do it," he said. He dropped his hands from her face, moving them to the pockets of his jeans. He just couldn't kiss her when she didn't know what he was doing, or why. "I'm going back," he said. He just left Lucy standing in the garden.

Once she processed that he left, she ran after him. When she got inside the house, he was already in his room. She figured he wanted to be left alone, so she went to the living room. Wendy and Sting were sitting on the floor, making jewelry with string and beads.

"Hi, Lucy!" Wendy said happily. "Do you want to make something with us?" Lucy smiled and sat down beside them. They had a small box of different colored beads. She grabbed a piece of string that was already cut and started putting a couple beads on.

"Like this?" she asked. She had a black, blue, and green bead on her red string.

"Yep!" Wendy said. "Sting, will you tie this?" She handed him her necklace. He tied it and handed it back. She smiled and ran out of the room, planning to give it to Ultear.

"Do you like doing this?" Lucy asked, adding another bead to her own necklace.

"I guess it's okay," Sting said. "I'm just doing it because Wendy wants me to. It's tolerable, but I wouldn't do it own my own. Hey, what's your favorite color?"

"I like pink," she said. She loved the pink flowers in her garden. They looked really pretty, especially at night. "What color do you like?"

"I guess white." He tied off the blue necklace he made for Wendy. He noticed that she wore a lot of homemade necklaces, so he figured she would actually wear it. Nobody he knew would wear it.

"Ultear said she'd wear her necklace to school tomorrow!" Wendy announced when she reentered the room. She sat back down and started making a necklace for Ur.

"Here," Sting said. He handed Lucy a pink necklace. He found a heart charm in the box, so he put that at the center. He put three pink pony beads on either side.

"Thanks!" Lucy said happily. She put it around her neck and smiled.

"Lucy, Wendy," Ur said, leaning into the room. "You two should get to bed. You have school in the morning." Wendy was still young, so she had to go to bed early. Ur wanted Lucy just because she wasn't used to waking up early yet.

"Okay!" Wendy said. She picked up the finished necklace and gave it to Ur. Ur smiled and tied it off before putting it on. She gave Wendy a hug and kissed her head.

"Thank you, now off to bed," she said. She watched Wendy's disappearing figure as she went up the stairs. Lucy quickly followed after her.

She didn't even think to tell Gray goodnight.

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**Please Review!**


	17. Chapter 16: Fin (3-14)

**I am really thankful for all of the reviews you have given this story. This is the last chapter. Why am I suddenly finishing stories? Oh well. This chapter is pretty short, so I hope it wraps everything up.**

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Lucy walked along the road with Ultear. They were on their way home from the grocery store. She happily looked around as she walked. It was getting dark, so not many people were out.

When they came to a crosswalk, they had to stop to wait for the light. She looked over and saw two teenagers a few stores down. The boy was twirling a piece of the girl's hair. The girl blushed and looked away. He lifted her chin to him and kissed her.

Lucy's eyes widened. That day in the garden, when Gray got really close to her, he was planning on kissing her. She only just realized it.

"Are you coming?" Ultear asked.

"Y-yeah."

X

Lucy went from plant to plant, clipping off dead flower buds. Gray was walking behind her, looking at all the flowers. He hadn't been in that part of the garden, so he was interested. He was too occupied to notice the heavy blush on Lucy's face.

At some point during the week, Lucy found the courage to ask Ultear about relationships. She explained everything. She didn't leave out a single detail, which was embarrassing itself. It got more embarrassing when she told Lucy that Gray did like her. She even helped Lucy realize that she liked Gray, too. Thus, alone with him in a secluded part of the garden was very awkward for her.

"Lucy, are you okay?" Gray asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. She just stopped walking.

"I-I'm fine!" she blurted out, jumping forward. She should have been named 'Grace', because she fell on her butt.

"You sure you're okay?" Gray laughed, kneeling front of her. He noticed that her face was all red. He noticed that they were pretty close, but she couldn't be blushing about that, right? She must have just been embarrassed for falling.

"Y-your really close," she squeaked out.

He couldn't believe that she was embarrassed about that. What happened to innocent Lucy that knew nothing about relationships?

Ultear.

He silently cursed his sister. She single-handedly made every future situation between them awkward.

Or maybe Lucy likes him.

There's no harm in seeing, right?

"Lucy, why are you blushing?" he asked, rubbing his thumb against her cheeks.

"You're really close, and you like me, and I think I like you, and it's awkward, and were all alone, and-"

Gray kissed her, stopping her rambling.

Lucy couldn't help but notice how soft his lips were. She wasn't exactly sure what to do, so she gently grabbed his shirt and leaned into him. He moved his hand from her face to the back of her head, holding her in place. His other hand was already around the small of her back.

He pulled his face away from her, resting his forehead on her's. She was blushing a little less than before, but her face was still pink.

He was more than surprised when Lucy put her arms around his neck and kissed him again. She moved so she was sitting on his lap. He put both of his hands on her hips, kissing her back. She wasn't even sure what made her kiss him again. Whatever it was, she was glad.

"Sting isn't allowed to have you," Gray said, pulling away from Lucy.

"I don't like Sting," Lucy said. "I like you." She buried her face in his neck, hugging his waist.

"Good," he laughed. He ran his fingers through her hair.

"I saw Sting kissing Levy, anyways," Lucy said.

"What?" Gray asked. He thought that Levy liked Gajeel.

"The other day when I was walking with Ultear, I saw two people kissing. I realized that it was them right away," she explained.

"That means you're all mine."

And in that moment, Lucy no longer thought she was shut out of the world.

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**Sorry for the cheesy ending. I was going for sweet, but it probably came out cheesy.**

**Thank you all for reading this story!**


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